Wing Foiling Session - 12/22/2021

I hit Hickam Beach at 1:30pm today.  The wind was nice and strong - good for more testing on the Reedin SWX 4.2!

I have been wanting to use the Takuma Kujira 980 again - so with the reborn Project Cedrus 75cm mast, I bolted the smaller Kujira on.

This was roughly the same height as the Go Foil 32.5" mast.

The 980 turns so well - I almost don't have to think about the jibes, and coming out of tacks on foil is pretty easy compared to the ART 999 (not as easy as the mid-aspect Go Foils).  The transitions in the image below are a testament to the ease of turning this foil.

The SWX won't start in winds under 20mph - not at all (at least for me).  But above that, this wing comes alive.  As to be expected, it does behave a lot like the Reedin SW 3.6 that I have - but there is zero flutter coming from the X.  There were times on the outside where I thought I should have been on the 3.6 (check those gusts over 30mph).

The front end of the session I spent up on foil almost continuously.  I was also trying not to have the wing aggravate my tennis elbow and sore shoulder.  I was mostly successful with that goal.

At Firsts I was able to catch several waves.  I tried luffing the wing on a couple, but the wind had some north in it and that made riding unpowered a little harder.  The wing had the same tendency as the SW 3.6 to wander when luffing - I just countered the motion.  Harris said he was trying to luff his wing from the front handle instead of relying on the luffing handle - I might have to try this technique out.

Towards the end of the session the wind did drop below 20 and I was fortunate to be close to shore anyways.  Fun session!